Volume Two - Academic Conferences

Dina Soeiro et al.
specially about the interaction between two distant and different worlds, but
simultaneously, so close and similar.”
The participation of the students creates problems because conflict is inherent to democracy. But
open dialog and conflict took students to their “zone of proximal development” (Vygotsky 1978), with
the students managing their conflicts, with no direct action from the teacher. The teacher only opened
space for dialog, online or in person. Interestingly, the conflicts at the collective level were usually
discussed and solved in classroom, while the conflicts with one or two students were overcome with
messages in Moodle, to avoid confrontation face-to-face.
Most of the deaf students were not comfortable participating in Moodle, because of their poor writing
skills. They did not want to expose themselves to teachers and colleagues (whether deaf or listeners).
They would rather communicate only by sign language. To answer this need, teachers should
improve the use of video, but not indulging in doing without the essential exercise of writing.
We cannot avoid the exercise of writing because it is essential in our life and in our personal
relationships. We could not drop it. We had to include it in the evaluation, even more because they
had difficulties in that respect. Even inside the deaf community, as they call themselves, there are the
born deaf, the deaf who became deaf, the deaf who use a device to hear. A differentiation exists
between them. Those who write correctly are those who could hear at a time in their lives, particularly
if they learned to read and write before they became deaf. The others who cannot write well don’t
want to expose their writing.
Despite this difficulties, students recognize the utility that Moodle has to communication and learning
in a heterogeneous group.
Porftolio, 2008/9, 1, LGP, RI, Ana, 19 years – With easy access, Moodle greatly
facilitated communication between colleagues and access to information on interesting
topics promoting discussion. For me and for many colleagues this was a revolutionary
suggestion. It was a new experience, where I obtained useful information that enabled a
cultural enrichment and promoted greater acceptance of the others’ opinions, allowing
good communication between everyone. In fact, our space has eliminated
communication barriers between students, because in Moodle we could communicate in
various ways. It was not just a course, it was a dynamics, using new technologies for
personal development.”
Porftolio, 2008/9, 1, LGP, RI, Ana, 19 years – “For those who felt uneasy about the world
of silence, I learned a lot from the development of the activities and dialogues that have
been achieved through Moodle.”
Moodle forum, 2008/9, 1, LGP, RI, Belchior, 58 years – “Through Moodle, deaf and
hearers maintained a positive dialogue that they didn’t have in the face-to-face classes.”
Flexibility, autonomy and sense of community have been promoted by blended-learning strategies. In
Moodle they had their own space, without the need to rush, so they had the time to reflect,
communicate, discuss: time that was insufficient in face-to-face classes. There were too many
students in a two-hour class, per week, to work this subject. Diana, another working student,
confessed in the Moodle forum: “I wish it was Thursday. I long for our class.” While they were waiting
for the class, they could be at Moodle, and they liked it.
There is a sense of belonging to the learning community, especially in the working students, that is
fostered by participation through the Moodle. The role of technology is important to promote
democratic participation and, as the working student Carla says: “we are connected to the class and
the teacher”.
4. Conclusions
Rather than to prove anything, this particular narrative is intended for the reader to learn and get
inspired. As Friesen (2008) argues, the knowledge that can be derived from a particular narrative for
research and learning in eLearning is situated, practical, and in some ways, personal. Research into
the affective and experiential aspects of eLearning is growing (Pachler and Daly 2011) and the
qualitative approach can be useful to research this highly complex issues.
792